We collected peat sediments (sediment core ADK13083002) from Haven Lake on the north side of Adak Island (central Aleutian Islands, Alaska) to determine whether the vegetation has changed. We confirmed the presence of six tephra layers, including Forty Years (0.3 cal ka BP), T2, YBO (3.3 cal ka BP), Intermediate (6.4 cal ka BP), Main (9.5 cal ka BP), and T6. We identified four major pollen assemblage zones (HL-1 to HL-4, in descending order) in the cored sediment. HL-1 was dominated by Ranunculaceae and Empetrum pollen; H-2 was dominated by Poaceae, Ranunculaceae, and Empetrum pollen; HL-3 was dominated by Poaceae and Empetrum pollen; and HL-4 was dominated by Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Lycopodiaceae, and Empetrum pollen. Small charcoal particles, likely transported from a distance, were found at low frequencies until 6.4 cal ka BP. The total cross-sectional area of charcoal particles increased to 1500 μm2 or more by 6.4 cal ka BP, implying that the large charcoal particles originated from nearby Aleut settlements, which were established around the same time.

Radiation budget measurements were made at Mizuho station (70°42'S, 44"20'E, 2 230 m a. s.1.), East Antarctica, in 1979, within the framework of the Japanese POLEX-South programme. Global, and reflected short-wave and downward and upward long-wave radiat i on fluxes were measured at the snow surface and at the top of a 30 m tower. Direct solar radiation was also measured at the snow surface.

Seasonal variations of net radiation and net short-wave and net long-wave radiation are presented. Daily variation of net radiation is also presented with the daily value of meteorological elements. The monthly amounts of net radiation in winter months had very large negative values of about -80 MJ m−2 month−1. (-2 kly month−1). Daily totals of net radiation for clear skies were negative even i n summer, and were always smaller than those for cloudy skies. Monthly amounts of net radiation in summer months (about -1 MJ m−2 month−1 in December) were the smallest among the several Antarctic stations compared, and whether the balance was negative or positive depended on the ratio of clear and cloudy days. Comparison of seasonal variations of radiation components was made and the dominant cause of the radiation balance was discussed.

This paper describes errors and corrections in snow heat flux when it is calculated using the numerical differentiation and integration method. The data obtained by the 20th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition during GARP-POLEX in 1979 are used as a test case. Four factors are considered as causes of errors: a) temperature resolution, b) integration, c) determination of snow density and d) the deepest boundary condition. Factors a) and b) are significant in short term estimation, and the total error exceeds 90% if a daily value is calculated. The errors from a) can be reduced if the temperature is averaged over a long period, while those from b) become small in long term flux calculations. The total error can be reduced to 10% in monthly flux, while the improvement is limited by c) and d). If a constant thermal diffusivity is assumed between two levels of temperature measurement, a numerical filter which compensates for the effect of b) is composed. By using running averages in deep layers (z > 0.5 m) and the numerical filter in shallow layers (z <0.5 m), hourly flux can be calculated with errors of about 30%.

In 1979, the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) developed a 179 MHz airborne radio echo-sounder (NIPR-A), and installed it in a Pilatus Porter PC-6 aircraft. The peak power of the sounder is about lkW and the pulse width is 0.3 ys. Soundings were carried out in Antarctica on Shirase Glacier and the Yamato Mountains in January 1980. The total flight distance over the Shirase Glacier was about 500 km in six flights, while, on the Yamato Mountains area, about 80 km long, two north-south flights and three eastwest flights were carried out.

In spite of poor wave penetration, the presence of many sub-glacial uplands (1 000 to 2 000 m a.s.l.) near the Yamato Mountains area was revealed. Discussion is concentrated on the bedrock and surface topography of the bare ice area near Motoi Nunatak in the southeast Yamato Mountains, because the previous traverse party covered this area and many meteorites have been discovered here.

A high sub-ice ridge with three peaks extends east of Motoi Nunatak, and from 22 to 28 km east of Motoi Nunatak there is a short ridge with two peaks. From 12 to 20 km up-glacier from Motoi Nunatak, a long but comparatively low ridge surrounds Motoi Nunatak ridge like an arc. Finally, the sub-ice flow lines near Motoi Nunatak are deduced from new and earlier data.

Long-term observatinns of precipitating clouds were carried out by a vertical pointing radar and plan-position indicator PPI) radar at Syowa station (69.0°S, 40.5°E), Antarctica, in 1989. The observations revealed that there were three abundant snowfall seasons at Syowa station and the amount of snowfall was uniform in all seasons except summer. The amounts of precipitation in autumn, winter and spring were 74, 74 and 53 mm (liquid water equivalent), respectively. The amounts of precipitation in autumn and winter were large at Syowa station in 1989. However, the amount of precipitation on the inland ice is expected to be small in winter, indicated by the distributions of precipitation measured by the PPI radar.

The occurrence frequencies of cloud vortices which brought snowfall to Syowa station increased in the autumn and spring seasons, corresponding to the activity of the circumpolar trough. However, the activities ofcloud systems that bring precipitation weaken in Spring when the sea-ice area expands to low latitudes, because of a lower supply of heat and vapor. Thus the activities of cloud vortices are also weakened above the sea ice.

New strategies for materials fabrication are of fundamental importance in the advancement of science and technology. Nanocrystals, especially with an anisotropic shape such as cubic, are candidates for building blocks for new bottom-up approaches to materials assembly, yielding a functional architecture. Such materials also receive attention because of their intrinsic size-dependent properties and resulting applications. Here, we report synthesis and characteristics of BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 nanocubes and the ordered assemblies as ferroelectric supracrystals. BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 nanocubes with narrow size distributions were obtained in an aqueous process. BaTiO3 films made up of ordered nanocube assemblies were fabricated on various substrates by evaporation-induced self-assembly method. Regardless of the substrate, the nanocubes exhibited {100} orientations and a high degree of face-to-face ordering, which remained even after heat treatment at 850 °C. Piezoresponse force microscopy was carried out on the supracrsytal films to obtain plots of the d33 piezoelectric coefficient against the poling field, and ferroelectric hysteresis curves were shown.

Thin-film silicon solar cells have been attracted a lot of intention as low-cost solar cells. One of the most important technologies for improving their performances is light trapping. We have demonstrated the high potential of double-textured zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films used as front transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films due to further enhancement of their light-trapping effects. Although the laser scribing method has already been well established for low-cost thin-film silicon solar cell module manufacturing, laser scribing technique on double-textured ZnO is new and still a challenging issue. In this study, we firstly demonstrated the availability of laser scribing for amorphous silicon (a-Si) solar cells fabricated on double-textured ZnO substrates. It is general to utilize lasers with wavelength of 1.06 μm and 532 nm for scribing of TCO and silicon layer, respectively. Here we attempted to scribe both of TCO and silicon layers using a 532 nm wavelength laser (green laser) for process simplifying.

Daily diet may have implications for skin ageing. However, data on the relationship between diet and the parameters of skin conditions are scarce. The present study aimed to examine the associations of biophysical properties of the skin of women with intakes of fats and antioxidant micronutrients as well as food groups as sources of these nutrients. In a cross-sectional study, we measured the hydration, surface lipids and elasticity of the skin of 716 Japanese women using non-invasive techniques. The extent of facial wrinkles in the crow's-foot area was determined by observation using the Daniell scale. Each subject's usual diet was determined with the use of a validated FFQ. After controlling for covariates including age, smoking status, BMI and lifetime sun exposure, the results showed that higher intakes of total fat, saturated fat and monounsaturated fat were significantly associated with increased skin elasticity. A higher intake of green and yellow vegetables was significantly associated with a decreased Daniell wrinkling score. Intake of saturated fat was significantly inversely associated with the Daniell wrinkling score after additional adjustment for green and yellow vegetable intake. Further studies with more accurate measurement methods are needed to investigate the role of daily diet in skin ageing.

We prepared fine Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) powder suitable for screen printing using a mechanochemical synthesis and wet bead milling. Particulate precursors were deposited in a layer by a screen-printing technique, and the porous precursor layer was sintered into a dense polycrystalline film by atmospheric-pressure firing in an N2 gas atmosphere. The microstructure of CIGS powder and fired CIGS film were observed in an SEM. The wet bead milling was effective for the reduction and homogenization of the average grain size of CIGS powder. The CIGS grains in the film were well sintered and the size of CIGS grains was as large as about 2 μm. The CIGS solar cell showed an efficiency of 3.1%, with Voc of 0.279 V, Jsc of 28.8 mA/cm2 and FF of 0.386.

Individuals with cancer have two to four times an increased risk of depressive disorders compared to the general population. Depressive symptoms are related to impaired daily life functioning and a rise in health care utilization. Pharmacological treatments for depression are usually effective to reduce depressive symptoms, but sometimes lead to serious adverse reactions. We describe a cancer patient who developed sudden psychological and behavioral abnormalities after administration of the antidepressant paroxetine. Impulsive and aggressive symptoms are a so-called activation syndrome that can cause violent or suicidal tendencies. Palliative care staff should pay close attention to these potentially lethal reactions and make an immediate and correct diagnosis.

Porous Pd42.5Cu30Ni7.5P20 bulk glassy alloy rods with porosities up to 71% were successfully prepared by water quenching in a 15 MPa hydrogen atmosphere, followed by heat treatment in a supercooled liquid state. Pores with sizes up to 80 μm were homogeneously distributed over the whole cross-sectional area. Under compressive deformation, the porous alloys with porosities exceeding 41% did not show macroscopic fracture in a wide compressive strain range up to 0.6. Mechanical tests with porous alloy rods whose pores are anisotropically oriented indicate that the plasticity of the porous alloy is strongly affected by stress concentration factor.

Light-weight, large-area and flexible solar cells and modules were developed. Roll-to-roll processes including an improved film deposition process named “Stepping-roll process” are used to fabricate large-area hydrogenated amorphous silicon-based solar cells in succession on plastic film substrates. A unique device having through-hole contacts was developed and applied to simplify the production processes and to generate high voltage using connection in series. Production technologies, such as (1) light-weight and large area module fabrication, (2) plasma condition controlled chemical vapor deposition, (3) low substrate temperature selective reactive sputtering, and (4) large-area uniform transparent conductive oxide film deposition are reviewed.